Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Cappuccino Cake for Coffee Lovers.

Here is the Cappuccino Cake for the coffee lovers all over the world.

I made this Cappuccino Cake for my oldest brother's birthday and it was a big hit. The first thing is that this cake calls for an angle food cake mix, but I used a gluten free cake mix instead. The one I used doesn't get big and tall like an angle food cake, but it does taste very well. Another thing that I changed was that I made my own whipped topping. The whipped topping was just heavy whipping cream mixed with a little bit of vanilla and powder sugar. For any one who would like to make this, the recipe is down below.


  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • |
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • |
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • | makes 10 servings
  • 10 ounce(s) of Semi-sweet Chocolate, (reserve some shavings for garnish)
  • 8 ounce(s) of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 cup(s) of Powdered Sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup(s) of Brewed Coffee, room temperature is great
  • 2 cup(s) of Whipped Topping, enough to cover the top of your cake
  • Angle Food cake mix. make as directed on box or you can buy a store bought one.

Steps
  1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
  2. Cut the top off of your angel food cake and use it to fill in the middle so that you have a lower but solid cake.
  3. Pour the coffee evenly over the entire cake and set in the fridge to soak up and chill (about 5-10 minutes)
  4. Cream together your cream cheese and powdered sugar
  5. Once melted, remove the chocolate from heat and slowly add to your cream cheese mixture, whip on high for 2-3 minutes and then slide into the freezer to chill
  6. Remove your cake from the fridge and invert onto your serving dish
  7. Spread the chilled chocolate mixture over your cake in a nice thick layer
  8. Now cover the chocolate layer of your cake with the whipped topping.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Salmon en Papillote

 
This is a Salmon en Papillote.
I made it for the first time this last Thursday! My family and I enjoyed it very well. I liked how the parchment paper kept the salmon nice and moist, and yet at the same time it wasn't soggy or mushy. When I was making this I added in some new things such as, some lime zest as well as the lemon, and then I put about a table spoon of butter on top of each salmon piece when it was cooking. I think also the garlic gave it a very good taste, and mixed well with the chive and onion cream cheese. 
 Here is the recipe for anyone who would like to make it. 
It is a great dish for a nice family meal or for any occasion of entertaining guest.
  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • |
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • |
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • |
  • Servings: 4
  • 4 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Chive & Onion cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. of chopped sundried tomatoes
  • 4 5 or 6 ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillet
  • 1/4 cup(s) of good quality white wine
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. of ground sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper
  • 1/2 small sweet onion, sliced thinly
  • 12 stalks thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed off, cut in half (if asparagus is not in season, substitute with 2 small carrots, each julienned into 12 pieces)
  • 1/2 tsp. of zest from fresh lemon
Steps
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, oil, and tomatoes.Cut a slit in the side of each salmon fillet so it resembles a pouch. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly into each salmon pouch. Set aside.
  3. In another small bowl, mix the wine, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  4. Fold a 12"x15" piece of parchment in half, and cut to create a half-heart shape, using the fold as the straight edge. Open parchment to reveal heart shape, and lightly spray with non-stick olive oil or regular cooking spray.
  5. Place one salmon in the center of one half of the sprayed side, followed by 1/4 of the onion, and 6 pieces of asparagus. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of wine mixture over the salmon and onions. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon zest. Repeat this step (3 more times with remaining ingredients).
  6. Fold the top half of each heart over to enclose the salmon. Starting at the top of the heart, fold about 1/4 ” of the edge toward the center, and fold again to make a tight seal. Continue "rolling this hem" around the edge of this parchment , pinching the roll tight when sealing. When the "hem" reaches the bottom of the heart tip, twist about 1" of the bottom tightly to seal, or staple closed. Place all 4 "papillote" packets on a large baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes, in the center of the oven, until the salmon is opaque in the center and flakes easily. Do not overbake or fish will be tough. Place each papillote on a plate, and using scissors or a sharp knife, carefully cut a large X on the parchment top (caution: steam will be hot! Make sure face and other skin is not too close to the papillote when cutting); peel back with tongs.* Serve immediately.
  8. * If the salmon is not cooked after peeling the parchment back, return to the oven keeping the parchment peeled back. Bake for 1-3 minutes longer, until salmon is opaque in the center and flakes easily with a fork.
Enjoy!      
P.S  I do not use the white wine, but it may be someones preference to. :)